Though it’s not officially spring for a few more days, spring-like weather has finally arrived and the prospect of it sticking around appears to be good. And what a relief that is!

I don’t know why I get so tired of winter and am so impatient for spring weather to arrive. I’ve lived in places where warm spring weather often didn’t come until much later, and snow remained a possibility through much of May. My parents, who live in southern Nebraska, still had snow on the ground Sunday with a lot of melting left to go. So, what am I complaining about? The short and mild wintershere really shouldn’t bother me. Perhaps I’ve become a wimp when it comes to the cold days of winter.

December and January aren’t so bad. I usually enjoy the first cold spells, and those first snows are beautiful. But then comes February and I’m ready for the cold and gloomy days of winter to be over. I’m counting down the weeks and the days until March and spring weather finally arrive.

I’m convinced I’m not alone in my distaste for February. Why else would those who devised our 12-month calendar give February only 28 days - 29 only once every four years- when there are so many other months with 31 days that could have given up a day to February? The calendar makers must have longed for February to be over too and decided to make it shorter than any other month. What other explanation could there be?

And even at that, February’s not short enough. In fact, its 28 days seem a lot longer than those warm months with 31. I guess you could call it the longest, shortest month of the year. I would recommend that February be omitted from the calendar altogether, but that might make January too long and March a lot colder than I’d like. In spite of thefact that February is not one of my favorite months, I’d be opposed to omitting it or fast-forwarding through it because the years already pass too quickly and a fellow my age can’t afford to throw away any time by just skipping over it.

On Sunday, when our spring-like temperatures climbed up to 70 degrees with sunshine and gentle southern breezes, a church member who greeted me at the door seemed to echo my thoughts exactly when I asked her how she and her husband were doing.

“We made it through February,” she said. “Maybe we’ll live another year.”

As February came to a close this year, I wondered if it wasn’t going to get me.It was bad enough that I had to endure February’s seemingly endless depressing and gloomy days with almost no sunshine at all - if the sun did shine, it was for 10 minutes before sunset and very short lived. But before February finally passed, I managed to pick up a badcold which hung on into the first couple days of March. It was like February reached out its cold and icy fingers and tried its best to hang on to me and not let me make it through to see warmer and sunnier days.

Somehow I escaped her grip and recovered. Now I too think I’ll live another year. But when that hour comes, if I die of natural causes, I expect it just could be in the final days of February, just short of the sunnier and warmer days of March and April. After all, how many years can a fellow escape February’s grip? She may get me yet.

But now that warmer weather has arrived and the sun is shining, life doesn’t seem so bad. Instead of feeling worn out and depressed, I am looking forward to getting outside and enjoying the warmer days ahead. I mayeven take Mrs. Griz to a few garage sales without grumbling and complaining. I might ride my bike. I hope to take some good photographs. And I might even enjoy mowing the grass for the first few times. Maybe I’ll even lose weight, get in shape and feel better again.

I only hope February is not like one of those scary, evil villains of the movies which seem to come back to life a few times to strike out and wreak havoc after everyone was so certain a mortal blow had been struck and all danger was passed. February’s allotted days are passed. It better not rise up again, at least not until next winter when I’m so longing for sunny days and warmer weather once again.

Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Gentry Courier-Journal and the Decatur Herald. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]

Opinion, Pages 5 on 03/10/2010